Measurement of seasonal changes in the near-maritime atmospheric surface layer

Turbulent fluxes of momentum and heat in the Chesapeake Bay region of Maryland, USA are studied over a 12-month period. Measurements from a vertical array of two sonic anemometers and an infrared gas analyzer, reaching 8-m above the water, provide surface layer parameters using the eddy covariance method. Warm waters of the Bay are shown to produce generally unstable atmospheric conditions throughout the summer months, and a more balanced mix of stable and unstable conditions during the late winter. The temperature structure parameter, i.e. the coefficient of the second order structure function for temperature, is calculated and compared to expected scaling per Monin-Obukhov theory. As observed by others, the expected scaling for temperature structure holds well for unstable conditions but is less predictable for neutral and stable conditions.